Mayer Brown announced today that it has recruited leading structured and real estate finance lawyer Charles Malpass as a partner in the Banking & Finance practice in London. Charles joins Mayer Brown from Dechert, where he was head of the European structured finance and real estate finance practices. His arrival continues Mayer Brown’s strategic investment in its finance capabilities for funds and financial institutions, both in London and in other financial centers around the world.

“This is a big hire for us — Charles is the leader in his field and his arrival significantly advances our capabilities in complex real estate-backed financings,” said Dominic Griffiths, a partner and co-head of the global Banking & Finance practice at Mayer Brown. “Finance has long been one of the signature strengths of our global platform, which we sustain through continuous and targeted investment such as this hire. We are committed to adding talented lawyers such as Charles, whose wealth of knowledge will enhance our strength in structured finance and build on existing client and cross-practice synergies, particularly those with our real estate, construction and restructuring teams.”

Charles has a wide-ranging structured finance practice focused on real estate, non-performing loan transactions, securitizations, senior and mezzanine loan origination, and loans backed by consumer, residential mortgage and commercial mortgage debt. He is widely recognized for his multijurisdictional work and frequently advises on transactions in Europe, Russia, the Middle East and the US.

Sally Davies, Mayer Brown’s managing partner in London, said: “We are delighted to welcome Charles to the firm. He has an impressive market reputation and considerable experience in complex structured finance transactions across various jurisdictions, which make him a great fit for our practice.”

Charles added: “I am delighted to be joining Mayer Brown, a firm which I admire greatly. I look forward to working with a leading team of real estate, construction, restructuring and corporate lawyers at the firm. I was attracted to Mayer Brown because of its long term commitment to real estate in Europe, and the fact that it has a leading US practice. It is a firm that is going from strength to strength.”